


A Little Shy

by Aninvisiblekat



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Reader-Insert, Shy Kozume Kenma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:42:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aninvisiblekat/pseuds/Aninvisiblekat
Summary: [Kenma Kozume x Reader] Kenma was a pretty shy person who didn't tend to show much emotion. People (read: Kuroo) tried to hint at his attraction to you, but you found it difficult to tell exactly how he felt. Maybe there were some subtle signs that could indicate to you his feelings. . . so long as you were able to pick up on them, of course.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 95





	1. [1/10]

**Catch him glancing at you**

You had never been as good at reading people as Kenma and Kuroo, and yet you had the sinking suspicion that the former had been looking at you. The sensation of eyes burning holes into the side of your face was enough to make you look over to the boy beside you, and yet whenever you did he was looking at the game in front of him. 

You leaned over to glance down your side of the table in front of him, hoping to maybe find whoever had been looking at you, but to no avail. It seemed everyone else was busy conversing or eating, and you sighed, picking up your chopsticks to continue eating the meal Coach Nekomata had so graciously paid for. 

When you felt the stare again you darted your eyes back to the pudding-head, and yet he was once again looking at his video game. 

“You should eat,” you looked at his plate, noticing that the boy had been more invested in his game than the food in front of him. 

He looked at his plate and then at you, nodding to acknowledge your statement before returning to his console. You found Kuroo grinning at you from across the table, and you glared at the boy before looking down at your own food. 

You were relieved of the sensation of eyes on you for less than a minute before the uncomfortable feeling returned. For once you turned quickly enough, confirming that the eyes on you belonged to Kenma, and you made awkward eye contact before he once again, averted his gaze to the bright screen of his game. 

“[Name],” Coach Nekomata had caught your attention, and you looked away from the pudding-head as the old man began talking. “We’ll need more information on the next team we’ll be playing. You nodded your head, writing down a reminder as you felt the boy’s gaze on you once again. 

You wiped around your mouth, wondering if there was a bit of food he was too kind (or shy) to point out to you. 

There wasn’t any. 

~~~

You would have written off the day before as an accident. Who knew what was going through Kenma’s mind? You obviously didn’t, so you’d decided there were three possibilities as to why he’d been looking at you so often. He was probably spacing out and ended up unintentionally looking at you. Maybe there was something wrong with your attire. Why were you overthinking this anyways? People looked at you all the time. 

You shook your head, turning to your duties as the team began warm ups. Yet throughout the day you continued to feel his eyes settle on you, and you found yourself looking back more often than not. 

* * *

This is 100% definitely not based on a [wikiHow](https://www.wikihow.com/Know-if-a-Shy-Guy-Likes-You-in-High-School) article... 


	2. [2/10]

**Notice him light up when he sees you**

Kuroo grinned at the expression on his friend’s face. Kenma’s eyes were bright, a trait that only seemed to occur when he bought a new game or became fully immersed in a competition. It could have been the practice, but that was highly unlikely. Kenma’s uncharacteristic happiness (maybe just a lack of apathy) seemed to be directed towards something -or someone- off of the court.

“Looking at [Name]?” His grin widened at the lightest dusting of pink that took over the pudding-head’s face, and the disgruntled look that was shot back. It couldn’t even pass as a glare, but having known Kenma for so long, Kuroo knew he’d hit a nerve. 

“Kuroo,” the younger male set the ball, and although he had been recently preoccupied, Kuroo’s attention went to delivering a clean spike. Kenma didn’t need to say anything else, his message had been made clear in one word.  _ Pay attention to the game, it’s more important.  _

They played to the end of the set, keeping communication focused on the game, and yet when a break was called Kuroo noticed Kenma had the same look on his face. “Staring won’t do anything.” He shrugged matter-of-factly, but left the subject alone as the setter’s face showed nothing more than it’s normal disinterest.

You however, couldn’t believe what Yumi was saying to you. “He’s giving you  _ the look _ again.” Your friend had been trying to convince you that Kenma was looking at you enthusiastically, although you were skeptical of her claim. Kenma didn’t show much emotion, least of all any sense of excitement. You doubted Yumi’s ability to read such a blank person, especially from your place on the side of the court. 

“Break’s over!” Everyone made their way back onto the court, and you reset the scoreboard for the second set. 

“You don’t get it [Name]-chan!” You listened to your friend, but your eyes were trained on the game “You said before he’s not the type to show his emotions, but I bet he does. It’s just subtle.” 

“I don’t know,” You flipped the scorecards as the ball hit the ground, looking at the side of the girl’s face, “it feels like you’re just seeing what you want to see.” 

“Oh crap!” Yumi checked the time on her phone, quickly gathering her stuff. “I have to go. There’s a Student Government meeting.” You waved as she flew out of the gym, giggling at her hasty exit. 

“[Name].” You turned at the sound of Kenma’s quiet voice, handing him a water bottle at his request. You looked at his expression, trying to discern ‘the look’ Yumi had been talking about, but all you could see were the light bags under his eyes, presumably from staying up late to play video games. You turned your attention to helping the first years clean up, oblivious Kuroo jabbing Kenma in the side. 


	3. [3/10]

**Take note of awkward interactions**

You were set off balance by someone bumping into your back, and it was only thanks to Yumi reaching out to steady you that you didn’t fall. You whirled around to see who was behind you only to find Kenma and Kuroo. The former almost dropped his game when you made eye contact, while the latter was laughing. Kenma had been the one to bump into you, and you wondered why Kuroo didn’t stop him. Wasn’t it his job to watch where the boy was going while he was preoccupied with his games? Maybe he’d been too busy trying to stifle his laughs, something that you came to realize he was  _ terrible  _ at.

“S-sorry [Name].” Kenma tried not to grimace at his stutter, ignoring Kuroo’s laughter which seemed to have somehow gotten louder. 

“No problem…” You noticed that his character levelled up, a shining number five appearing on the screen, and wondered if it was a new game. He seemed too interested in the floor to notice. You shifted your weight, wondering also if you should leave or say something else to the setter or the captain. 

You eyed Yumi and Kuroo, both of whom seemed to find this  _ very _ amusing. “Come on [Name]-chan! Time to go.”

“Did that seem odd to you?” Your friend smiled, but didn’t offer you an answer. “Thanks, thanks  _ so much _ .” 

~~~

You winced as Lev collided with Kenma, making your way over to check on the two boys. Lev was quick to stand up, bowing and apologizing to the older boy, but Kenma was still on the floor. 

“Are you alright?” You leaned over him, checking for any visible injuries. Nothing looked physically wrong, but he seemed disoriented. It took him a moment to nod. “Come on, let’s go sit down for a minute.” Kuroo helped him up, and you followed him to the bench by the side of the court, watching to see if he limped at all. 

“I-I’m fine.” He spoke quietly, averting his eyes as you continued to look at him. You grabbed a flashlight, checking to ensure he didn’t have a concussion, which forced him to make eye contact with you. He inhaled sharply, surprised by your close proximity, and wondered if you had heard the breath. 

You saw him wince slightly as he absentmindedly rotated his wrist. It must have been the one he fell on. “Please let me tape that, just to be safe.” He nodded, and you grabbed the tape, clearing your throat in the silence. “So, was that a new game you were playing earlier?”  _ What a bad conversation starter. _ You nearly cringed. 

“Yeah, I bought it yesterday.” He was proud he didn’t stutter, but you noted that he had gone back to avoiding eye contact. 

Silence fell back upon the two of you until you cleared your throat once again. “All done!” You smiled at him, and he made his way back to practice as quickly as possible. You sighed as the smile slowly slipped off your face. No matter how Yumi would attempt to interpret the interaction, running away from you definitely wasn’t a good sign. 


	4. [4/10]

**Notice him saying 'hi' to you**

You felt nearly dead. A cup of coffee was held loosely in your hand, and you focused on the sloshing of the liquid in the cup to keep yourself awake. In your other hand was a stack of packets, an anthology of all the information available on the next team Nekoma would be playing. Your lack of sleep couldn’t only be attributed to your Volleyball Club duties, it also came from the essay that had been assigned the week before and stowed away into your folder, only to be forgotten until the day before it was due. 

You looked at your seat as you arrived in the classroom, slowly trudging towards it while ignoring those around you. 

“Good morning [Name].” The quiet voice came from a few rows behind you, and you know it’s Kenma. Maybe you’re too delirious to think straight, but you wonder whether or not he’s always done that. You don’t think so, he’s usually too preoccupied with a game, but you wave away your thoughts, laying your head down on the desk tiredly.

~~~

In the next few days you noticed he would nod a greeting to you in the hall, or mutter a quiet ‘hello’ before practice, and you couldn’t remember whether or not he’d always done those things. But thinking about it is stupid, right? You’re seeing what you want to see; and if it’s from a mere greeting alone you must really be desperate to see signs of this guy liking you. At least Yumi’s willing to validate you when you bring it up on a trip to the mall one weekend. 

“I mean, I already told you what I think.” She’s tapping on her phone rapidly, looking up often to show that she is invested in your conversation. “Just because his attempts to talk to you are subtle doesn’t mean they aren’t important.” Maybe the girl’s enabling your wish fulfillment, but you don’t really wish to play devil’s advocate right now. “Oh, there he is right now.” Yumi’s already looking back at her phone, but your head bobs around, searching for a sign of the familiar yellow hair or maybe the red Nekoma jacket. 

When your gaze finally lands on him, you’re not surprised to find he’s heading towards the game store. You are however, surprised when he makes eye contact with you, waving with a “hi [Name]” as you and Yumi pass. 

“Oh, hi Kenma.” You awkwardly avert your gaze, knowing he’s already made his way into the store and was probably unable to hear your delayed response. 

The boy hides behind his bangs, trying not to picture your surprised expression or Yumi’s knowing one. A mental image of Kuroo’s smirk makes its way into his head, and he can almost hear his friend teasing him. 

Whatever, slow progress still counts as progress.

* * *

Sorry that chapters have been sort of slow. While I usually try to pre-write stories, I'll admit that I posted this one preemptively, which I probably shouldn't have done. I've been trying to write a few more stories, but I've also been really busy with other things, and I don't know that the pace is going to increase any time soon. 


	5. [5/10]

**Talk to him on social media**

Talking to you in person was way too intimidating. Kenma knew how that would go. You would wait patiently, with a rather expectant smile, as you watched him stumble over his words. He wouldn’t be able to say what he wanted to, and you would leave, thinking he was an inarticulate idiot. This terrible eventuality however, did not apply to electronic communication. 

Although he’d never thought of you as the type to play video games, your snapchat story was littered with the occasional video of you playing with your brother or your friends, or watching your brother play as you were doing now. 

“Come on!” Kenma could hear you giggle from behind the camera, pointing it at your brother and then to the display in front of the two of you. His heart skipped a beat, and he tried to convince himself it was because the game on the screen was one he’d wanted to play for awhile (though it was really because of you, of course). 

“Oh shut up [Name]!” Your brother looked at the camera good naturedly, reaching out to take the phone before the snap quickly came to its end. 

Kenma instinctively swiped up, but his confidence was rather short lived as he stared at the message bar contemplating whether or not to send something. He typed out a quick message (‘did you get that game on preorder??? I thought it was sold out’) but hesitated once more, staring at the blocky letters until they became little more than blurry squiggles. What if it was too nerdy? It probably was. That’s the worst way to start a conversation. 

He closed his eyes as he pressed the send button, opening them as he quickly turned off his phone. Kenma quickly reached for his handheld console, trying not to overthink. The boy knew he wasn’t good with people, and he’d likely overthink the short message he’d sent if he didn’t preoccupy himself. 

Noticing your abrupt silence, your brother attempted to look over your shoulder, trying to pay attention to his game as well. There were no enemies on screen, so he quickly turned all of his attention to getting a glimpse at your phone. You were looking at a message with a faraway look in your eyes, thumbs poised over the keyboard. 

“Who’s that?” You jumped at his words, realizing you’d zoned out. 

“You’re dying.” He whipped his head back towards the screen, rapidly smashing the buttons on his controller. 

‘Yeah I got it for Kaito’s birthday, he really likes it so far… only about half an hour in tho

Guess it was a good idea to preorder, it sold out pretty quickly’ you sent the messages before setting down your phone, laughing at your brother’s quiet curses. 

Kenma opened your message. Your response had taken less time than he expected, but before he could even think of a response he was sent a video. A quick zoom in on the screen, where Kaito’s avatar was being struck by a sword. He could hear your brother’s cursing as he died, the screen going dark before the snap restarted. ‘Have you played?’ was the caption, and Kenma began typing back, less uncertain about his response. 

‘It was sold out when I went to get it. I’ll probably play when it’s restocked,’

This was good, right? A conversation where he wasn’t tripping over his words or too quiet. 

‘Tell me when you get it, Kaito might not suck as much by then

I thought you were playing a different game now though?’ 

Kenma’s lips tilted upward as he began typing. _Success!_


	6. [6/10]

**Don't be upset if he talks to your friends**

Yumi didn’t spend much time with the volleyball team. Student Government usually kept her busy, and while some of the second years knew her as class B’s representative, the rest of the volleyball team knew her exclusively as “[Name]-chan’s friend”. So, when Kenma approached her she was shocked. 

“Hi Yumi,” he didn’t even look her in the eye. 

“Kenma,” she nodded in his direction, before her eyes darted to you. You stood only a few lockers down, certainly Kenma would have been able to see you. But why approach her if not to ask about your whereabouts? 

Kenma was stuck in his place, fingers itching as he fought the urge to grab his phone or console. Why was he here again? A quick glance at Kuroo’s smug form reminded him. _Right._ Kuroo had encouraged him, not at all out of good-will, Kenma came to realize, to approach Yumi. 

_“Think of it as practice,”_ he’d said, while nearly shoving Kenma, _“you practice on her friend so you’re more confident when you talk to her.”_

Kenma had asked if using someone as practice was exactly… _moral_ , but Kuroo had waved him off. 

_“It’ll be fine! Yumi’s really nice, right? Plus, while I’m sure she feels sorry for you, she’s definitely not interested.”_

“Hey, are you okay?” Your friend scanned over his features in concern. “You kind of spaced out.” 

Kenma stood a bit straighter, before relaxing his posture once more. “I’m fine.” Where was he even supposed to go from here? 

“Are you sure? You’re not overworking yourself in volleyball, are you?” Kenma wasn’t used to people (other than Kuroo) being this attentive. 

“No, I- I’m fine.” 

“Good,” Yumi glanced back at you, “[Name] would probably be really concerned if you did.” 

_How can she act so casual about saying that?_ Kenma tried very hard not to turn red, hiding behind his hair. _You would care if anyone on the team strained themselves too much_ , the pudding head reminded himself. _It’s your job_. He glanced at the papers clutched in Yumi’s hands, fliers for an upcoming event. 

“Those look really good.” 

“Thank you!” She wasn’t faking her smile. In truth, she’d spent a lot of time on the fliers. “Look, I have to go. [Name] and I were going to hang these up around the school.” She turned to you once more; you’re standing by your (now closed) locker, looking at her expectantly. 

Kenma immediately let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, hoping his relief didn’t show so obviously on his face. If Yumi noticed, she didn’t say anything, and Kenma waved as she began to walk in your direction. 

“What was that about?” You asked Yumi as soon as she approached. 

Instead of answering, your friend gave you a smile and a conspiratorial wink, sticking out her tongue. 

“I hate you.” Kenma pulled out his phone as he made his way back to Kuroo, immersed in a game by the time he reached his friend. 

“That didn’t go too badly.” 

Kenma allotted just enough time to glare at the volleyball captain beside him before becoming focused once more on his video game. Maybe someday he’d appreciate Kuroo’s attempt, but until then he’d continue to see it as the failure it was. 

* * *

Maybe publishing when I'm tired is not a good idea, because a lot of the formatting for this chapter was originally incorrect. 

I don't feel like the prompt _really_ applies to the reader and Kenma's relationship that well, so I kind of changed the way I wrote about it. 


End file.
